The World Health Organisation (WHO), recently, highlighted the substantial benefits of the ‘Har Ghar Jal’ program in India.
Key points
- The report estimates that ensuring safely managed drinking water for all households in the country could avert nearly 400,000 deaths caused by diarrheal diseases and prevent approximately 14 million Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) related to these diseases.
- This achievement alone would result in estimated cost savings of up to $101 billion. The analysis focuses on diarrhoeal diseases as it accounts for majority of WASH-attributable disease burden.
- The ‘Har Ghar Jal’ report focuses on diarrheal diseases as they contribute significantly to the overall disease burden related to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) issues.
- The analysis underscores the urgent need to address these diseases and the potential for substantial gains in public health and economic well-being.
- The report reveals that in 2018, 36% of India’s total population, including 44% of the rural population, lacked access to improved drinking-water sources on their premises.
- The direct consumption of unsafe drinking water had severe health and societal consequences.
- The analysis indicates that in 2019, unsafe drinking water, along with inadequate sanitation and hygiene, contributed to 1.4 million deaths and 74 million DALYs globally.
